Exchange-based and challenge-based networked video game wagering

ABSTRACT

In various embodiments, wagering systems, processes and computer-readable media are provided. The wager system may include a server configured for processing at least one wager on a video game match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network; at least one database operatively associated with the server, the database being configured for storing information related to the wager; and, a challenge system operatively associated with the server, the challenge system being configured to permit a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wager associated with the video game match. In certain embodiments, the server may be configured to enable wagered video game play through a directly operatively associated game server or a directly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network to facilitate challenge-based and/or exchange-based wagering.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to processing wagers in association withnetworked or online video game play.

BACKGROUND

The technological landscape for online multiplayer video gaming israpidly evolving into exciting new areas. Online video game play throughmultiplayer gaming networks and game servers provides an entertainingexperience by offering players the opportunity to compete with liveopponents on different networked gaming devices. There are presentlymany multiplayer gaming networks and game servers available that allowplayers to compete in video games against each other, and at least someof these electronic environments have the capability to permitinteraction among players on a global scale.

In view of this emerging technological landscape, what are needed aremore effective ways to further enhance the excitement and entertainmentvalue of the online video gaming experience, especially with regard tovideo games played in multiplayer electronic environments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The utility of the embodiments of the invention will be readilyappreciated and understood from consideration of the followingdescription of the embodiments of the invention when viewed inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 includes a system architecture diagram illustrating variousexemplary aspects of a wagering system configured in accordance withembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2A includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects ofwagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 2B includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects ofwagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 2C includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects ofwagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 2D includes a process flow diagram illustrating certain aspects ofwagering processes that may be conducted in accordance with embodimentsof the invention; and,

FIGS. 3 through 65 illustrate examples of screen displays that may beprovided in accordance with various wagering system, process, andcomputer-readable media embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION

As applied herein, a “wager” or “wagering” involves players stakingsomething of value (e.g., money, tokens, or points) for an opportunityto win something of value (e.g., a prize) subject to the outcome of anevent (e.g., a video game contest between players), wherein the outcomeof the event is predominantly determined by the skill of the playersinvolved in the event and not a chance occurrence. In comparison, a“bet” or “gambling” involves staking something of value (e.g., money,tokens, or points) for a chance to win something of value (e.g., aprize) subject predominantly to the outcome of an event (e.g., a lotterydrawing) which is predominantly a chance occurrence.

“Exchange-based wagering” refers to the process by which players ofsimilar preferences, who may or may not know each other and want towager on a particular form of game play, are matched as opponents by anonline wagering system, according to various wagering, skill level,ratings criteria and/or other criteria. By way of comparison,“challenge-based wagering” refers to the process by which a challengerplayer challenges an opponent player to a challenge wager associatedwith a video game match.

A “multiplayer gaming network” or “gaming network” includes anynetworked medium that enables players to engage in a video game or anyother electronic gaming activity between/among the players. One exampleof a third-party “multiplayer gaming network” suitable for use withvarious embodiments of the present invention is the “Xbox Live” gamingnetwork operatively associated with the “Xbox” gaming system (MicrosoftCorporation). Another example is a multiplayer gaming network that isoperatively associated with a wagering system, in order to enable usersto engage in wagered competition.

A “video game” includes any electronically executed game that can beplayed over a multiplayer gaming network, game server, or otherelectronic gaming environment in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the invention. Examples of video games include, without limitation,wireline console-based games, such as those played on the “Xbox” gamingsystem; wireless console-based games, such as those played on the “PSP”gaming system (Sony Corporation); personal computer (“PC”) games;wireless telephone-based games; and, a variety of other types ofelectronic games.

A “game console” includes any device or apparatus that can be configuredfor playing one or more video games on a multiplayer gaming network.Examples of “game consoles” may include, without limitation, videogaming system consoles, computer systems, personal data assistants(PDAs), wireless telephones, or any other device that can be configuredfor use as a game console in accordance with one or more embodiments ofthe invention described herein. In another example, cable controllersconfigured for access to cable network media may include interactivefeatures, so that users can employ cable boxes as game consoles, forexample, to practice various aspects of the invention described herein.

The term “communication media” includes any medium capable of receivingdata communications in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention such as, without limitation, network connections (e.g., anintranet, extranet, or the Internet), wireless data networks, wire linedata networks, satellite networks, or cable network connections.

The term “web site” may refer to any set of at least one page generatedby at least one server in accordance with the various embodiments of theinvention, such as, pages accessed through a computer system, as well asdata screens that can be manipulated to produce designated functionsrelated to a multiplayer gaming network accessed through a game console,such as, for example, an introductory data screen that a player wouldsee after accessing the “Xbox Live” network through his or her “Xbox”gaming system.

The term “web server” may include any server utilized to generate atleast one web site, while the term “game server” may include any serverthat enables game play on at least one multiplayer gaming network orother electronic environment.

Unless otherwise noted or readily evident from the context as appliedherein, the term “player” refers to players participating on amultiplayer gaming network or other electronic environment who may alsobe “users” of a wagering system provided in accordance with the presentinvention. The terms “player” and “user” sometimes may be usedinterchangeably herein.

With reference to FIGS. 1 through 2D, general aspects of an exemplarywagering system architecture and wagering processes that may be providedin accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated.In various embodiments, a wagering system 102 includes a server 102Aconfigured to receive and process wagers that can be placed and settledin association with networked video game play. The server 102A mayinclude a web server and/or game server, for example, and may beoperatively associated with one or more wager databases 102B or otherlike storage media configured for storing a variety of wagering relatedinformation. The server 102A may host one or more web sites 102Cincluding various pages or screen displays that facilitate collection,analysis and processing of wagering information and/or other datacommunicated to/from the wagering system 102. For example, informationmay be communicated to the wagering system 102 from various players 112,114, 116 using multiple game consoles 106, 108, 110 (respectively), toplay video games on a multiplayer gaming network 104. In variousembodiments, the players 112, 114, 116 may also be users with respect toaccessing and using various features of the wagering system 102.

In general, the wagering system 102 functions to allow the players 112,114, 116 to select from among a diverse set of video games that can beplayed for wagers; to permit the players 112, 114, 116 to store wagers;to accept the wager of an opponent with whom they would like to compete;to remove or modify unaccepted wagers; as well as to perform variousother functions. In certain embodiments, the wagering system 102 may beconfigured to enable video game play between/among the players 112, 114,116 through a multiplayer gaming network 104 operatively associated withthe wagering system 102. In other embodiments, however, the wageringsystem 102 may not enable video game play between/among the players 112,114, 116. For instance, the software that permits communication andinteraction between/among the game consoles 106, 108, 110 during videogame play can be executed by a multiplayer gaming network 104 operatedby a third-party. In certain embodiments, the wagering system 102 maythus be configured to operate independently of the multiplayer gamingnetwork 104; and, the game consoles 106, 108, 110 may interact with eachother on a third-party multiplayer gaming network 104 to conduct videogame play. In certain embodiments, the wagering system 102 may beconfigured to enable wagered game play for certain video games on anoperatively associated multiplayer gaming network 104, in addition tofacilitating wagering on game play executed on at least one third-partymultiplayer gaming network 104. The dotted line 118 is intended torepresent an association, with or without a direct connection orcommunication, between the operative functions of the wagering system102 and the multiplayer gaming network 104, depending on whether themultiplayer gaming network 104 is or is not directly operativelyassociated with the wagering system 102.

As described hereinafter in more detail, the wagering system 102provides a variety of functions: to permit players 112, 114, 116 toregister and maintain wager accounts 102D; to store details of player112, 114, 116 profiles; to store payment information; to allow players112, 114, 116 who wish to wager in a variety of video games to locateone another for competition on a third-party multiplayer gaming network104; to confirm outcomes of video game matches with a confirmationsystem 102E; to apply ratings to users with a ratings system 102F thatreflect their conduct with respect to the wagering system 102 andinteractions with competitors; to transfer an amount indicative of thewager at the conclusion of video game matches, for example; to storeoutcomes of played video games, including a competency structure 102Gthat tracks and maintains the skill levels of players 112, 114, 116 withrespect to various video games; to settle disputes between players 112,114, 116 associated with wager outcomes by employing a disputesettlement system 102H; to allow players 112, 114, 116 to wager withspecific other players 112, 114, 116 using a challenge system 1021; topermit players 112, 114, 116 to create and maintain a member profilethat is accessible by other players 112, 114, 116, using a memberprofile system 102J; to allow players 112, 114, 116 to wager with otherplayers 112, 114, 116 who are ready to engage in wagered competition,using a challenge room system 102K; to enable wagered competition on adirectly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network 104 ordirectly operatively associated game server 126, through the applicationof a networked game wagering system 102L, for example; and/or otherfunctions.

As shown in FIG. 1, one or more communication media 120 may be providedto enable communications between one or more of the game consoles 106,108, 110 and the wagering system 102. Also one or more access devices122 may be employed by the players 112, 114, 116 or other users tocommunicate with the wagering system 102, for example, through one ormore of the communication media 120. Examples of access devices 122include, without limitation, computer systems, personal data assistants(PDA's), telephones (of wireless or wire line variety), and/or any otheraccess device suitable for accessing the functions of the wageringsystem 102.

Prior to entering into wagered video game play, the players 112, 114,116 may be required to register as users with the wagering system 102 ina variety of ways. For example, a visitor home page 352 may include: aregistration link 354 to direct new users to one or more registrationpages 502, 602 to register at step 202; and a conventional login area356 wherein existing or registered members can enter usemame andpassword information to access wager account 102D information maintainedby the wagering system 102 at step 206. Otherwise, visitors or memberswho have not yet logged-in may be prompted to register or log into theiraccounts 102D, if they attempt to engage in wagering activity within oneor more web sites 102C of the wagering system 102. The users may bepresented with a prompt 404 as shown in the screen display 402 of FIG. 4that permits entry of login information (e.g., username and passwordinformation) to access the wagering system 102, and/or permitsunregistered users to access the registration pages 502, 602. In thismanner, it can be seen that visitors, as well as members who have notyet logged in, can be permitted to view substantially the same wageringactivity on the web site 102C as members who had logged into theiraccounts 102D. The system 102 can be configured, however, to not permitwagering activity by visitors or unregistered users until registrationand login procedures are completed.

To register at step 202 and gain access to the wagering system 102, newusers may be presented with the registration pages 502, 602. On theregistration page 502, new users may enter various name and contactinformation 504, as well as the third-party gaming networks 506 on whichthey compete and/or the network identifications 508 that the useremploys when playing video games on at least one third-party multiplayergaming network 104. New users may also enter desired usemame 510 andpassword 512 information to permit account 102D access on the wageringsystem 102. On the registration page 602, a user may enter informationto be displayed on a member profile, through the application of themember profile system 102J, which may be a computer system or softwaremodule that tracks, stores, and/or presents member profile information.For example, players 112, 114, 116 may input data regarding which videogame titles they own to be included as part of their member profiles.Data collected on the registration pages 502, 602 may be stored in thewager database 102B.

In association with registration, new users may be directed to a“deposit options” page 702, as illustrated by the screen display of FIG.7, to select or edit deposit options at step 204. The “deposit options”page 702 permits the user to select a payment method for establishing awager account 102D with the wagering system 102. Users may be able todeposit funds in a service account or the wager account 102D using acredit card, bank transfer, or through a variety of payment processors124 (examples of which are included in the payment method section 704)that provide payment processing services to the wagering system 102. Thepayment processors 124 can facilitate the transfer of funds to/from thewager account 102D of the user, for example. To load credit into a wageraccount 102D, a user may transfer money into the wagering system 102 byusing one or more accounts managed for the user by the payment processor124, and/ or by using a credit card or bank transfer. Once established,the wager account 102D may be employed by the wagering system 102 tocredit or debit wager amounts for the user to settle wagers made inassociation with video game play (i.e., wins or losses) on themultiplayer gaming network 104, for example.

Once a registered account is accessed by a previously registered user ora new user at step 206, a member home page 802 as seen in the screendisplay of FIG. 8 may be displayed by the wagering system 102. Themember home page 802, like the visitor home page 352, may includes links804 to the most popular wager pages, links 806 to “featured wager pages”that the service may want to highlight, links 808 to various pages thatdisplay player rankings based on competition for a wager in a particulargame and/or overall competition on the wagering system 102, as well as“Wager Center” links 810 to various networked video games that a usercan play either for free and/or for a wager on a multiplayer gamingnetwork 104 operatively associated with the wagering system 102.

Various screen displays presented by the web sites 102C, such as themember home page 802, may include a toolbar 812 of links positionedhorizontally across the screen display as shown. The links in thetoolbar 812 may include a “home page” link 812A to access the memberhome page 802, a “terms and conditions” link 812B to display terms andconditions of using the wagering system 102, and/or an “instructions”link 812C to access written instructions or a visual demonstration, forexample, explaining how the service operates. Various screen displayspresented by the web site 102C may also include a toolbar 814 of linkspositioned vertically across the screen display, as shown on the memberhome page 802, for example. The toolbar 814 may be separated intodistinct sections for a variety of third-party multiplayer gamingnetworks 104 on which users may compete for wagers using the wageringsystem 102. Within these sections on the toolbar 814, there may bedifferent links for disparate types of video games that can be played onthe given multiplayer gaming network 104 (e.g., “Fighting,” “Racing,”“RPG,” “Shooter,” “Sports,” etc.). For instance, there could be a linkdevoted to “Xbox Live” (Microsoft Corporation) “Sports” games or “SonyOnline” (Sony Corporation) “Fighting” games. In addition, the toolbar814 may be configured to display only those links to multiplayer gamingnetworks 104 and types of video games that are compatible for play withthe particular game console 106, 108, 110 of the user (e.g., links for“Sony Online” games only).

Each game type link may allow users to access a pull-down menu 904 ofsub-links 906 related to video game titles of that game type, as shownin screen display 902 of FIG. 9, for example. In certain embodiments, avideo game title link may allow a user to access another pull-down menu1004 of sub-links 1006 related to the video game, as depicted in screendisplay 1002 of FIG. 10. In various embodiments, the sub-links 1006 mayallow a user to access wager pages for different network game-playingmodes for the game, a challenge room page for the game, atournament-scheduling page for the game, as well as a page displayinguser rankings 1102 related to wagering on the game, as shown in thescreen display of FIG. 11, for example.

Referring again to FIG. 8, various screen displays presented by thewagering system 102 may also include a vertically positioned toolbar 816of links as shown, for example, on the member home page 802. The linkson the toolbar 816 may allow users to access functions and processesrelevant to the management of the wager account 102D. For example, an“account statement” link 816A may allow access to an “account statement”page 1202 that displays wager account 102D statements and allows usersto modify contact/password information, as well as to register with thewagering system 102 for other third-party multiplayer gaming networks104, for example, on which they can compete. An example of an “accountstatement” page 1202 is shown in the screen display of FIG. 12. Inaddition, a “confirm outcome” link 816B may allow users to access afunction or page on which they can confirm the outcome of wagers, whichwere entered into using the wagering system 102 and competed for on athird-party multiplayer gaming network 104. An example of a “confirmoutcome” page 1302 is shown in the screen display of FIG. 13. A “depositmoney” link 816C provides navigation to the “deposit options” page 702to permit users to add credit to wager accounts 102D. A “withdraw money”link 816D can direct users to a function or page that facilitateswithdrawal of available credit or the amount of the credit balance inthe wager account 102D not otherwise needed to cover any outstandingwager, for which a user still needs to confirm the outcome, in additionto the largest stored wager, as well as the sum of all sent and/oraccepted challenges or counter-challenges. An example of a “withdrawaloptions” page 1402 is illustrated in the screen display of FIG. 14. A“player profile” link 816E may direct users to a function or page thatsummarizes a user's skill levels competing in games and/or game modesfor a wager; records win/loss records for each game and/or game modesfor a wager; records profit and/or loss information associated withplaying games and/or game modes for a wager; and/or, allows users toupdate their member profiles through application of the member profilesystem 102J. An example of a “player profile” page 1502 is shown in thescreen display of FIG. 15. In addition, a “challenge mailbox” link 816Fmay direct users to a function or page that depicts wager challenges orcounter-challenges that have been received and/or sent by a user from/toother players 112, 114, 116. An example of a “challenge mailbox” page1602 is depicted in FIG. 16.

Also, on the toolbar 816, users may be presented with a “Stored Wagers”section 816G that displays a list of outstanding, stored wagers for theuser on the database 102B of the wagering system 102. For each wager, abutton or other function can be provided that allows for the removal ofthe wagers from the database 102B, if desired. It can be appreciatedthat the number of wagers in the “Stored Wagers” section 816G variesdepending on the number of wagers stored by the user. If a user does nothave any wagers stored, then a “None” indication may be presented in the“Stored Wagers” section 816G.

At step 208, a user may access a wager page to select a video game forwhich the user wants to review, store or accept a wager. Selecting the“head-to-head” football link on the pull-down menu 1004, for example,directs a user to the exemplary wager page 1702 shown in the screendisplay of FIG. 17. In general, the wager page 1702 may be substantiallyrepresentative of the characteristics of all wager pages that may beprovided for different video games in accordance with embodiments of theinvention. As shown, the wager page 1702 includes a list of wagers 1704that the players 112, 114, 116 have stored on the wagering system 102for a particular video game. The list 1704 may include the usemame 1706,user rating 1708, and/or the skill level 1710 of each player 112, 114,116 who stored a wager, as well as a suggested competition time 1712 anda wager amount 1714. On the wager page 1702, the user may accept aparticular stored wager with the intent of playing the video game forthe wager amount 1714. In addition, the wager page 1702 may include a“store wager” option 1716 that allows users to add wagers to the list ofwagers 1704 by inputting wager amounts 1714. In various embodiments, thewagering system 102 may refuse to accept wager amounts less than apredetermined minimum level or greater than a predetermined maximumlevel. Once the “store wager” option 1716 is selected, a “wager form”1802, an example of which is depicted in the screen display of FIG. 18,may be presented to the user with a wager amount field 1804 that permitsentry of the wager amount 1714. If the user attempts to store a wageramount 1714 greater than the credit amount available in the user'swagering system 102 wager account 102D, a notification 1904, an exampleof which is shown in screen display 1902 of FIG. 19, may be presented tothe user.

In addition, the wager page 1702 may be configured to permit users tosort the list of stored wagers 1704 according to user rating 1708, skilllevel 1710, suggested competition time 1712, and/or wager amount 1714,for example. In various modes of operation, the list of stored wagers1704 may be ordered so that the wager with the most imminent suggestedcompetition time 1712 is listed first on the list 1704.

In various embodiments, a credit balance 81 6H of the wager account 102Dof a user can be displayed on the toolbar 816, for example, of variouspages of the wagering system 102. In addition, users may be permitted toview a breakdown of gross transactions that have impacted the creditbalance 816H by navigating to the “account statement” page 1202, usingthe associated link 816A on the toolbar 816, for example. As shown, the“account statement” page 1202 can be configured to display transactionsincluding total amounts deposited to the wagering system 102, totalamounts withdrawn, total fees taken from winning wagers, and/or totalamounts won and/or lost by the user.

In operation of the wagering system 102, if a player 112, 114, 116cannot find a compatible wager stored on the wagering system 102 toaccept at step 254, the player 112, 114, 116 can store a wager at step256, and/or log into a third-party multiplayer gaming network 104 at thesuggested competition time. Users may also be permitted to storemultiple wagers on the wagering system 102 for a particular video gameor multiple video games to promote an increased probability that acompetitor will be available to play for one of the multiple wagers.With respect to multiple wagers, the wagering system 102 can beconfigured to verify that the player 112, 114, 116 has enough availablecredit in the wager account 102D to cover the largest of the multiplestored wagers. A player 112, 114, 116 who stores a wager may beautomatically notified at step 258 by e-mail, instant messenger, textmessage, or another communication method, if another player 112, 114,116 has accepted their wager and may be given their competitor'smultiplayer gaming network 104 identification, among other information.It can be seen that players 112, 114, 116 who had previously storedwagers on the wagering system 102 can await notification of wageracceptance while working on a computer system or other access device 122(wireless telephone, PDA, notebook, etc.), in addition to the gamingconsole 106, 108, 110.

If the user stores a wager substantially compatible with a wagerpreviously stored by another player 112, 114, 116, and if the wageringsystem 102 determines through the application of its competencystructure 102G that the skill levels associated with the players 112,114, 116 who stored the wagers, as well as the suggested competitiontimes, are compatible, then the players 112, 114, 116 associated withthe wagers may be directed to compete in networked match play at step260. The wagering system 102 may be configured to define compatiblewager amounts as substantially the same amounts or within a certainacceptable range of deviation between the amounts. The competencystructure 102G of the wagering system 102 may be configured to notpermit players 112, 114, 116 of comparatively higher skill levels toaccept wagers from players 112, 114, 116 at comparatively lower skilllevels, but the converse may be permitted (i.e., lower skill levelplayers 112, 114, 116 can be permitted to accept wagers stored bycomparatively higher skill level players 112, 114, 116). Also, thecompetency structure 102G of the wagering system 102 may be configuredto not permit a player 112, 114, 116 having a first skill level to playagainst a player 112, 114, 116 at a second skill level, wherein theabsolute magnitude or percentage difference between the first and secondskill levels exceeds a predetermined maximum level.

If the wagering system 102 matches compatible wagers, or if a useraccepts a stored wager on the wager page 1702, for example, then theuser can be presented with a confirmation page 2002, an example of whichis shown in the screen display of FIG. 20. The confirmation page 2002prompts the user to accept or decline the video game wager subject tothe terms and conditions displayed on the confirmation page 2002. On theother hand, if a user stores a wager, then the user can be presentedwith the confirmation page 2102, an example of which is shown in thescreen display of FIG. 21. These confirmation pages 2002, 2102 maydisplay one or more reference numbers attributed to stored or acceptedwagers by the wagering system 102.

If a user accepts another user's stored wager, then that particularstored wager can be removed from the wager page 1702 by the wageringsystem 102. If a user had multiple stored wagers on the wager page 1702,or on multiple wager pages 1702, and the user enters into competitionfor one of the wagers, then all of the wagers can be removed from thatwager page 1702, and/or all of the wager pages 1702.

To accept a wager at step 254, users may be required to have sufficientavailable credit in the wager account 102D to cover the wager amount,and to have challenged another user of a compatible skill level. If auser attempts to accept a wager without meeting these criteria, amongpossibly others, then the wagering system 102 may present the user witha notification 2204 shown in the screen display 2202 of FIG. 22, forexample, for attempting to compete with another player 112, 114, 116having an incompatible skill level; a notification 2304 shown in screendisplay 2302 of FIG. 23, for example, for attempting to compete withanother player 112, 114, 116 and having too low of a user rating;and/or, a notification 2404 shown in the screen display 2402 of FIG. 24,for example, for attempting to accept a wager of an amount greater thanthe available credit of the wager account 102D. In this event, thewagering system 102 may be configured to automatically direct the useras to how to transfer additional funds into the wager account 102D.

If users have met the necessary criteria and have stored a wager, thenthey may receive a prompt 2504 shown in the screen display 2502 of FIG.25, for example, notifying them to prepare their game console 106, 108,110 and await a challenger to compete in the designated video game onthe third-party multiplayer gaming network 104 at the suggestedcompetition time. If the users have met the necessary criteria and haveaccepted a stored wager, then they may receive a prompt 2604 as shown onscreen display 2602 of FIG. 26, advising them to prepare their gameconsole 106, 108, 110 for game play, in the designated networked videogame at the suggested game time, and telling them the networkidentification of their competitor, so that they can locate them on thethird-party gaming network 104 for game play. After the user whoaccepted the wager locates the user who stored it on the third-partymultiplayer video game network 104, they may compete for the wager atstep 260, in the same manner as if they were engaging in non-wageredcompetition on the third-party multiplayer gaming network 104independently of the operation of the wagering system 102.

At step 262, using the confirmation system 102E, the competitors mayconfirm the outcome of their wager in various embodiments of theconfirmation system 102E. For example, the users may confirm the outcomethrough a link in an email sent by the wagering system 102 to bothcompetitors after one of them accepted the stored wager of the other.This link may take them to the “confirm outcome” page 1302 as is seen inthe screen display of FIG. 13 associated with their wager account 102D.This page 1302 may display information regarding any wagers 1304, 1306that they may have stored, which another user had accepted, or they mayhave accepted themselves, in addition to any wager challenges that theymay have sent and another player 112, 114, 116 accepted or wagerchallenges that they may have received and accepted. Furthermore, thepage 1302 may allow them to confirm the outcome of the wager or wagers1304, 1306 through associated buttons and/or other functions (e.g.“won,” “lost,” or “did not play”). In general, users may confirm theoutcome of a wager in a variety of ways. For example, in certainembodiments, users may confirm wager outcomes by using a wirelesstelephone, or another wireless access device 122, to communicate a textmessage to the confirmation system 102E, or by using another mobileinteractive feature.

At step 264, if both players 112, 114, 116 confirm the same outcome oftheir wager, such as by using the confirmation system 102E, then thewagering system 102 may award a prize to the winning player 112, 114,116 at step 266 by transferring a credit equivalent to the funds stakedin the wager from the wager account 102D of the losing player 112, 114,116 to the wager account 102D of the winning player 112, 114, 116. Invarious embodiments, the wager amount may be reduced by a transactionfee charged by the wagering system 102. In this manner, no funds need tobe transferred directly between users of the wagering system 102;instead, the server 102A can be configured to update balances of thewager accounts 102D to reflect the results of wagers won or lost by theplayers 112, 114, 116.

At step 264, if neither player 112, 114, 116 confirms the outcome, ifonly one player 112, 114, 116 confirms the outcome, or if the players112, 114, 116 confirm different outcomes, then no prize may betransferred between wager accounts 102D. In this event, at step 270, thedispute settlement system 102H may be invoked to help to determine orsettle the outcome of the video game wager. If one or both of theplayers 112, 114, 116 did not confirm the outcome, then thenon-confirming player 112, 114, 116, or players 112, 114, 116, may besent another email, reminding them to confirm the wager outcome and ofthe possible consequential adjustment to their user ratings if they donot confirm.

Otherwise, if the two players 112, 114, 116 confirm different outcomesat step 264, then the players 112, 114, 116 may receive each other'semail addresses, for example, from the dispute settlement system 102H atstep 270, in order to jointly resolve the discrepancy in reportedoutcomes. Also, the players 112, 114, 116 may be notified by thewagering system 102 of possible consequential adjustment to their userratings, if they do not confirm matching outcomes. Through a link inthis email communication, for example, the players 112, 114, 116 may beprovided with a chance to re-confirm the outcome of the wager.

If the dispute can be satisfactorily resolved at step 272, then thecredit transfer of step 266 can occur. If the dispute cannot be resolvedat step 272, however, one or both players 112, 114, 116 may have theiruser ratings adjusted by the ratings system 102F, at step 268, asfollows. If, after invoking the dispute settlement system 102H, neitherplayer 112, 114, 116 confirms the outcome, then both players 112, 114,116 user ratings may be adjusted by the ratings system 102F. If only oneplayer 112, 114, 116 confirms the outcome, then only the other player's112, 114, 116 user rating may be adjusted by the ratings system 102F. Incertain embodiments, if the players 112, 114, 116 do not confirm thesame outcome, then both players 112, 114, 116 user ratings may beadjusted by the ratings system 102F.

Users of the wagering system 102 may have user ratings displayed next totheir stored wagers, based on the aforementioned rating factors. Forinstance, new users could start with an initial, predeterminedpercentage user rating that can be adjusted in accordance withsubsequent actions of the users in view of the rating factors. Whileusers may have multiple skill levels for different video games and gamemodes, the users may be provided with a single user rating, which may beimpacted by the manner in which they utilize the wagering system 102with respect to wagered video game play. Over time, it can be seen thatthe user ratings system 102F can become a self-regulating device topenalize users who do not accurately, or who never, confirm the outcomeof their wagers. It can be seen that the time a player 112, 114, 116with a lower user rating may wait for a video game opponent to selecthis or her wager generally would be greater than the time that a player112, 114, 116 with a higher user rating would have to wait. Moreover, auser may not be allowed to accept wagers of other players 112, 114, 116wagers, if that user's rating falls below a specified threshold level.The application of the user rating system 102F thus reduces thepossibility that a user can misuse or ignore the confirmation system102E.

Following the credit transfer at step 266, the wagering system 102 maybe configured to process the outcome of the concluded match, at step274, to alter a competency structure 102G maintained by the wageringsystem 102 for the players 112, 114, 116. The competency structure 102Gmay be created and configured as follows. Each user of the wageringsystem 102 can be given skill levels in a particular video game based ona combination of factors, including, for example, the amount of moneywon or lost, as well as a win-loss record or other score achieved, byplaying the video game against other users for wagers. For example,users might be given a skill level between one and ten, one representingan extremely poor player and ten representing an exceptional player. Inthis example, the skill level in a given video game would increase, if awin-loss record or a wagered amount won by the user improved, accordingto established algorithms. The users may access their skill levels, aswell as win-loss records or other scores achieved on the “playerprofile” page 1502 by clicking on the “player profile” link 816E on thevertical toolbar 816 included on each member page. If a user has not yetplayed a particular video game for a wager, then an initial, mid-rangeskill level may be given to the user, for example. The wagering system102 may be configured to not set the initial skill level to the lowestpossible skill level, because the user might be relatively experiencedplaying the video game but has not yet played the game for a wager usingthe wagering system 102. Based on the function of the competencystructure 102G, the wagering system 102 can be configured to permitplayers 112, 114, 116 of lower skill levels to challenge other players112, 114, 116 with substantially the same or better skill levels, butthe converse may or may not be permitted by the wagering system 102.

Embodiments of the invention may also include a myriad of manifestationsof team game play (e.g. “cooperative”), from two-on-two competitions togames where multiple players 112, 114, 116 compete on the same teamagainst a similar number of opponents on an opposing team. Additionallinks may be added to the pull-down menu 1004, for example, fordifferent modes of team play and distinct wager pages 1702 may becreated for each type of network game-playing mode. For instance, therecould be separate links to different wager pages 1702 for one-on-onecompetitions, as compared to two-on-two competitions. For each team gameplaying mode, a similar mode of operation to what has been describedpreviously herein would permit wagering on match play. To permitmultiple players 112, 114, 116 to compete together for a wager, forexample, one player 112, 114, 116 may access the page of the web site102C that displays the list of stored wagers for the game and networkgame-playing mode that his or her team wishes to play. An example of awager page 2702 for team game play is illustrated in the screen displayof FIG. 27. If the user decides to accept or store a wager, his or herteammates' third-party gaming network 104 identities and/or usemames canbe entered into the wagering system 102, through a “team wager form”page 2802, an example of which is shown in the screen display of FIG.28. Information of the team member who stored a wager may be listed onthe wager page 2702 for team game play, or player 112, 114, 116information for all team members may be listed.

Each teammate may need to confirm storage or acceptance of the teamwager, such as by indicating confirmation on a web site 102C, forexample, or by accessing a link in an email communicated by the wageringsystem 102. If all team members indicate their willingness to competefor the wager, then those users who accept the wager will receive theopposing team members' network identifications. Team video game play maythen commence when the teams locate one another on the third-partymultiplayer gaming network 104. After the competition concludes, eachmember of either team or a single representative player elected by eachteam, may confirm the outcome of the wager, substantially in accordancewith the process described above. The wager, possibly deducted by atransaction fee, may then be distributed evenly from each member of thelosing team's wager accounts 102D to each member of the winning team'swager accounts 102D.

In various embodiments, the competency structure 102G may be altered toraise or lower the skill level of each of the players 112, 114, 116 oneither team, with respect to the video game and/or the networkgame-playing mode. For this reason, in certain embodiments, a user couldhave multiple skill levels in the same game for disparate game modes.Although one player 112, 114, 116 may accept or store a wager, allmembers of the team may be required to be registered users of thewagering system 102 and have sufficient available credit in theirrespective wager accounts 102D to cover a pro rata portion of the totalteam wager to allow the wager to be stored or accepted pursuant to teamplay.

In various embodiments, a member profile may be created for each user asa part of registration, and then updated using, for example, an “updateprofile” link 1504 on the “player profile” page 1502, through anapplication of the member profile system 102J. Member profile pages 2902may be accessed, for example, through a “player profile” function 1718on wager pages 1702, which allows users to search for member profiles byusemame, user rating, and/or skill level in a game. An example of amember profile page 2902 is shown in the screen display of FIG. 29.Various types of information may be stored and accessible to all userson member profile pages 2902. For example, information stored throughthe registration page 602, regarding a user's gaming preferences, aswell as those games and/or third-party multiplayer gaming networks 104in which a user competes, may be stored in the wager database 102B usingthe member profile system 102J. Moreover, certain wager account 102Ddata may be visible on this page 2902, such as a user's skill levels. Itcan be seen that the information displayed within the profile mayfacilitate wagering between players 112, 114, 116 by allowing them todetermine those games on which a possible competitor likes to wager andhow competent they are playing them.

In various embodiments of the invention, each member profile page 2902may include a “challenge” button or function 2904 that allowschallengers to access at step 280 a “challenge form” 3004, an example ofwhich is shown in the screen display 3002 of FIG. 30, through which achallenger may challenge the user associated with the profile to competein a game for a particular wager in association with operation of thechallenge system 1021. At step 281, the challenger may configure one ormore features of the challenge, such as those shown in box 282, forexample. By clicking on the “select game” button or function 3006, forexample, challengers may access a pull-down menu comprising those videogames that the opponent player 112, 114, 116 has engaged in wageredcompetition in previously. Likewise, by clicking on the “select network”button or function 3008, challengers may access third-party multiplayergaming networks 104 in which an opponent has previously competed in theselected video game. If there is only one third-party multiplayer gamingnetwork 104 in which an opponent has competed in the selected videogame, then that gaming network 104 may automatically appear in thisfield. By clicking on the “game time” button or function 3010, a usermay be able to suggest a time for the wagered competition to theopponent player 112, 114, 116. In certain embodiments, challengers mayoffer an opponent player 112, 114, 116 favorable odds or unfavorableodds on a wager (e.g., a user may challenge another member to competefor a $ 10 wager with 2-1 odds, in which case the challenger wouldreceive $5, if he or she won, but pay $ 10, if he or she lost). In thismanner, user/challengers can be permitted by the wagering system 102 tochallenge player/opponents to mutually compatible competitions.

In order to send a challenge at step 283, the challenger may need toclick on the “send” button or function 3012 on the “challenge form” 3004and then agree to the terms and conditions on a confirmation page 3102.If players 112, 114, 116 indicate their agreement on the confirmationpage 3102, then a notification 3204, an example of which is seen inscreen display 3202 of FIG. 32, may be displayed which states the mannerby which the challenger may be informed that the challenge has beenaccepted. In certain embodiments of the wagering system 102, users maybe able to challenge players 112, 114, 116 who have lower skill levels.The wagering system 102 may be configured to require that, in order fora challenge to be sent, the challenger needs to have sufficientavailable credit in the wager account 102D. Received challenges may beaccessible to opponent players 112, 114, 116 on the “challenge mailbox”page 1602, which displays links 1604, 1606 to access received challengesand/or links 1608, 1610, 1612 to access sent challenges. For example,the page 1602 may adopt a layout common to electronic mail mailboxes(e.g., with an “Inbox” for received challenges, and an “Outbox” for sentchallenges).

At step 284, by clicking on a link 1604, 1606 to a received challenge,opponent players 112, 114, 116 may access a “received challenge form”3304 that may display, for example, an “accept” button or function 3306,a “decline” button or function 3308, and/ or, a “counter” button orfunction 3310, through which they may “accept” (at step 285A), “decline”(at step 285B), or “counter-challenge” (at step 285C, e.g., suggest tothe challenger that they compete for a different wager), the receivedchallenge. An example of the “received challenge form” 3304 is shown inthe screen display 3302 of FIG. 33.

In order to compete for a received challenge, the opponent may click onthe “accept” button or function 3306 on the “received challenge form”3304 at step 285A, and then indicate acceptance of the terms andconditions of the wager on a confirmation page 3402, an example of whichis illustrated in FIG. 34. If the opponent indicates acceptance on theconfirmation page 3402, then the opponent may receive a notification3504, an example of which is seen in screen display 3502 of FIG. 35,stating the procedures by which competition for the challenge wager isto be conducted. If the opponent accepts the received challenge at step285A and agrees to the associated terms and conditions, then thecompetitors may engage in wagered competition at step 286 using theabove-described process as if the opponent had accepted the challenger'sstored wager. The wagering system 102 may be configured to permit anopponent to accept a received challenge only if there is sufficientavailable credit in the wager account 102D of the opponent.

On the other hand, if the opponent player 112, 114, 116 clicks on the“decline” button or function 3308 at step 285B, then the receivedchallenge may be deleted from the opponent's “Inbox” of receivedchallenges, as well as from the challenger's “Outbox” of sentchallenges.

If the opponent clicks on the “counter” button or function 3310 at step285C, then a “counter-challenge form” 3604, an example of which can beseen in screen display 3602 of FIG. 36, may be displayed at step 287. Onthe “counter-challenge form” 3604, the opponent may revise or configurevarious features or aspects of the originally configured challenge atstep 288, including features listed in box 282. For instance, theopponent may change the wager amount, the game to be played, thethird-party multiplayer gaming network 104 in which competition may takeplace, and/or the suggested competition time of the original challenge,among other features. Again, users may only be able to indicate thatthey wish to compete in games and on third-party multiplayer gamingnetworks 104, in which the players 112, 114, 116 that they arecounter-challenging have engaged in wagered competition. Thiscounter-challenge may then be sent at step 289 to appear in the originalchallenger's “Inbox” or by another means of communication to be accessedby the challenger at step 290. The wagering system 102 may be configuredto permit opponents to send counter-challenges only if there issufficient available credit in the wager account 102D of the opponent.

In certain embodiments, it can be seen that challenges andcounter-challenges may be exchanged repeatedly or iteratively until achallenge configuration suitable to both challenger and opponent can beachieved. At step 291, the players 112, 114, 116 involved in thechallenge wager may confirm the outcome of their match in one of theways previously described herein.

Challenges may be deleted from “challenge mailbox” pages 1602 in thefollowing cases, in addition to the aforementioned case of when areceived challenge is declined at step 285B. The challenger may cancel asent challenge by clicking on its link 1608, 1610, 1612, in order toaccess the relevant “sent challenge form” 3704 and then clicking on, forexample, a “cancel challenge” button or function 3706. An example of a“sent challenge form” 3704 is shown in screen display 3702 of FIG. 37.If a challenger cancels a challenge, it may be deleted from both the“Outbox” of the challenger, as well as the “Inbox” of the opponent. Incertain embodiments, an unaccepted challenge may be automatically bedeleted by the wagering system 102 from the challenge mailboxes,following a certain period of non-acceptance (e.g., after a number ofhours or days).

In various embodiments, the challenge system 102I can be utilized topermit spontaneous challenging between/among players 112, 114, 116 whohave indicated readiness to engage in wagered competition in aparticular networked video game, using the challenge room system 102K.To engage in this form of wagering, a challenger may click on a“Challenge Room” link in the pull-down menu 1004 of sub-links 1006 for agame, for example, which then directs the challenger to the relatedchallenge room page 3802, an example of which may be seen in FIG. 38. Inorder to access a challenge room page 3802, players 112, 114, 116 mayneed to indicate that they are already logged into a third-partymultiplayer gaming network 104 and are prepared to compete in adesignated game by accepting an entrance prompt 3904, an example ofwhich can be seen in the screen display 3902 of FIG. 39. If the player112, 114, 116 accepts this prompt 3904, then the usemame, user rating,and skill level for the game for the player 112, 114, 116 can be listedin a column displaying information related to all of the players 112,114, 116 currently in the challenge room page 3802. Users in thechallenge room may challenge one another to compete for wagers byclicking on a “challenge” button or function 3804 alongside acompetitor's information. If a user clicks on a “challenge” button orfunction 3804, then a “challenge room form” 4004 will appear, throughwhich the challenger may challenge the associated opponent to wageredcompetition. The “challenge room form” 4004 may allow a challenger toinput a proposed wager amount 4006, for example. A challenger may alsobe able to challenge an opponent to compete for a wager with associatedodds, so as to make a challenge more appealing to the prospectiveopponent.

In order to send a challenge, users may need to click on a “send” buttonor function 4008 and then indicate their acceptance of the terms andconditions on a confirmation page 4102, an example of which can be seenin the screen display of FIG. 41. If the players 112, 114, 116 indicatetheir agreement, then they may see a notification 4204 explaining theprocess by which they will know if their challenge has been accepted andhow they should compete. An example of the notification 4204 isillustrated in the screen display 4202 of FIG. 42. In order to send achallenge in the challenge room 3802, a user may need to have sufficientavailable credit in the wager account 102D. Similar to thechallenge-based features of the wagering system 102 described above forvarious embodiments, challengers may be able to challenge opponents whohave comparatively lower skill levels in the game.

In various embodiments, opponents may be presented with a “challengeroom notification” 4304 after a challenge is sent, an example of whichmay be seen in the screen display 4302 of FIG. 43. The opponent may thenutilize an “accept” button or function 4306, a “decline” button orfunction 4308, or a “counter” button or function 4310 on the “challengeroom notification” 4304 to accept, decline, or counter-challenge,respectively, the received challenge. In order to accept a challenge inthe challenge room 3802, a player 112, 114, 116 may need to click on the“accept” button or function 4306, and then agree to the terms andconditions on a confirmation page 4402, an example of which is seen inthe screen display of FIG. 44. If an opponent indicates his or heragreement on the confirmation page 4402, then the opponent may receive anotification 4504, explaining the procedure by the competition is to beconducted. An example of the notification 4504 is shown in the screendisplay 4502 of FIG. 45. In contrast, if a challenged player 112, 114,116 clicks on the “decline” button or function 4308, then theprospective wager may be canceled and the challenger may be notifiedthat the challenge was declined. If an opponent clicks on the “counter”button or function 4310, then the opponent may see a form similar to the“challenge room form” 4004 that permits the opponent to configure acounter-challenge to send back to the original challenger.

In various embodiments of the invention, there may be certainrestrictions placed on usage of the challenge room system 102K by theplayers 112, 114, 116. For example, challengers and/or challengedplayers may be limited to sending and/or accepting one challenge at atime. Once users accept a challenge, their usemame and associatedinformation may be differentiated from the information of those userswho are available to wager, so that the players 112, 114, 116 know whomthey can challenge in the challenge room 3802. In certain embodiments,the information of users who have accepted challenges may appear initalics in a distinct section on the challenge room page 3802.Challenges made in the challenge room may expire, so that an opponentcan no longer accept the challenge if the opponent does not respondwithin a certain time period, or if the challenger enters into a wagerwith or accepts a challenge from another user. If a user leaves achallenge room page 3802, by accessing another web page, then thatuser's associated information may be removed from the challenge roompage 3802. In certain embodiments, a player 112, 114, 116 may only beable to enter a challenge room page 3802 if a user rating is above adesignated threshold level; and may only be able to send or acceptchallenges if they have sufficient available credit in the wager account102D. In certain embodiments, only members (e.g., not visitors) may beable to enter the challenge room page 3802.

In certain embodiments, competitors may be able to engage insimultaneous wagered competitions without leaving a challenge room page3802. For example, after the wagering system 102 processes an acceptedchallenge, the challenger may be presented with an “opponentnotification” 4604 informing the challenger that the wager was acceptedand providing the network identification of the opponent in thechallenge. An example of an “opponent notification” 4604 is shown in thescreen display 4602 of FIG. 46. In certain embodiments, the notification4604 may also allow direct confirmation of wager outcomes. Moreover,after the wagering system 102 processes an accepted challenge, theopponent may be able to confirm the wager outcome directly through an“instant confirmation notification” 4704, an example of which is shownin the screen display 4702 of FIG. 47. If the competitors confirm thesame outcome through the notifications 4604, 4704, then they mayautomatically become available to send and receive further challenges inthe challenge room 3802. If the competitors do not confirm the sameoutcome, however, then they may be automatically directed to the memberhome page 802, or to another part of the wagering system 102, to attemptto resolve the outcome of the video game match.

With respect to challenges sent through member profiles to challengemailboxes and challenges sent in challenge rooms, after a challenge hasbeen accepted, the wagering system 102 may deal with it in substantiallythe same functional manner as if it were an accepted stored wager. Forexample, the confirmation system 102E and the dispute settlement system102H may be applied to ascertain challenge wager outcomes. Onedifference between the exchange-based (e.g., storing/accepting wagers)and challenged-based (e.g., sending/accepting challenges) wageringprocesses with respect to the confirmation/dispute settlement process isthat players 112, 114, 116 in the challenge room page 3802 have theopportunity to confirm wager outcomes in a more immediate, direct mannerwithin the room 3802, in addition to other means of confirmationdescribed above. Moreover, the ratings system 102F and the competencystructure 102G may be updated in certain embodiments subsequent tocompetition and/or confirmation (e.g., ratings and skill levels may bealtered), in substantially the same manner as if an accepted challengewere an accepted stored wager.

In various embodiments, with reference to FIG. 2D, the wagering system102 may be utilized in conjunction with the operation of a directlyoperatively associated multiplayer gaming network 104, or directlyoperatively associated game server 126, in order to enable wageredcompetition, through the application of the networked video gamewagering system 102L. For example, to access wagered competition on adirectly operatively associated gaming network 104, players 112, 114,116 may click on a video game title link in the “Wager Center” section810 of the member home page 802. Having done so, the players 112, 114,116 may access or enter a networked game wagering room page 4802 for thevideo game at step 302. An example of a networked game wagering roompage 4802 is shown in the screen display of FIG. 48. The wagering system102 may be configured such that only members may be able to access anetworked game wagering page 4802.

The networked game wagering room page 4802 may be functionally similarto the aforementioned challenge room page 3802 in many respects. Forexample, when the players 112, 114, 116 enter the networked gamewagering room page 4802, their usemames, user ratings, and skill levelscompeting in the game can be depicted in a section 4804 devoted toinformation regarding players 112, 114, 116 available for wageredcompetition. If a player 112, 114, 116 leaves the room 4802 by accessinganother web page, then that player's 112, 114, 116 information may beremoved from the networked game wagering room page 4802. Te networkedgame wagering room page 4802 may allow both exchange-based andchallenge-based wagering, instead of just challenge-based wagering, andall wagered competition may occur on a network 104 or game server 126that is directly operatively associated with the wagering system 102through application of the video game wagering system 102L, as opposedto a third-party gaming network 104, for example.

For example, after clicking on a video game title link in the “WagerCenter” section 810, an entrance notification 4904 may be displayedprompting the users to store a wager at step 304A for which they wish tocompete and/or indicate whether or not they want to compete for free. Anexample of an entrance notification 4904 is shown in the screen display4902 of FIG. 49. If a user stores a wager through the entrancenotification 4904, then they may be presented with a confirmation page5002 that displays terms and conditions to which they must agree inorder to enter the networked game wagering room page 4802 and store thewager. An example of a confirmation page 5002 is shown in FIG. 50. Ifusers indicate agreement on the confirmation page 5002, then the storedwagers may be listed with other personal or profile information of theusers. If a player 112, 114, 116 exits the room 4802, such as byaccessing another web page, the stored wager or wagers may be canceledand removed from the page 4802. The players 112, 114, 116 may need tohave sufficient available credit in their wager accounts 102D in orderto store a wager on the page 4802.

An “accept” button or function 4806 and/or a “challenge” button orfunction 4808 may be included within the room 4802 for each player 112,114, 116. If a user clicks on an “accept” button or function 4806 atstep 304B and agrees to the terms and conditions on a confirmation page5102 (an example which can be seen in FIG. 51), then the wagering system102 may process the accepted wager, so long as certain conditions aremet. As in the aforementioned case of accepting a stored wager, usersmay only be able to accept those wagers of users who have the sameand/or a better skill level competing in the game, while the conversemay not be permissible (e.g., users accepting wagers stored by users whohave lower skill levels). A user may also not be able to accept aparticular wager, if the rating is below a specified threshold level,and/or if the user does not have sufficient available credit in thewager account 102D.

If a user clicks on the “challenge” button or function 4808 at step304C, then a similar process may occur, as if the user had challenged aplayer 112, 114, 116 in the challenge room page 3802. In this case, a“networked game challenge form” 5204 may be displayed that allows theuser to input a wager 5206 for which they would like to compete foragainst the challenged player 112, 114, 116, as well as a message 5208for their intended opponent. An example of a “networked game challengeform” 5204 can be seen in the screen display 5202 of FIG. 52. In orderto send a challenge, the user may click on a “send” button or function5210, for example, and then indicate their agreement to the terms andconditions on a confirmation page 5302, an example of which is shown inFIG. 53. As in the case of other challenge-based wagering features ofthe wagering system 102 described herein, users may be able to challengeany other player 112, 114, 116 without consideration of the challengedplayer's 112, 114, 116 skill level in the particular game. In certainembodiments, a user may only be able to send a challenge, if there issufficient available credit in the wager account 102D of the user.Moreover, in various embodiments, a challenger may be able to challengean opponent to compete for a wager with associated odds, so as to make achallenge more appealing to the prospective opponent.

After a challenge has been sent, the opponent player or players 112,114, 116 may see a “challenge notification” 5404 appear automatically ontheir screens, an example of which is shown in the screen display 5402of FIG. 54. At step 304D, the opponent may then utilize an “accept”button or function 5406, a “decline” button or function 5408, or a“counter” button or function 5410 on the “challenge notification” 5404to accept, decline, or counter, respectively, the received challenge. Ifthe opponent clicks on the “accept” button or function 5406, forexample, then a confirmation page 5502 may be presented that displaysterms and conditions of accepting the challenge. An example of theconfirmation page 5502 is shown in FIG. 55. If the opponent indicatesacceptance on the confirmation page 5502, then the wagering system 102may process the accepted challenge and enable the challenger andopponent to engage in video game competition at step 306. If theopponent clicks on the “decline” button or function 5408, for example,then the prospective wager may be canceled and the challenger may benotified that the challenge was declined. At step 304E, if an opponentclicks on the “counter” button or function 5410, for example, then theopponent may be presented with a form similar to the “networked gamechallenge form” 5204, except that the challenge may be automaticallydirected back to the original challenger. In certain embodiments, achallenge may expire, so that the opponent can no longer accept thechallenge if the opponent does not respond in a designated time period,and/or if the challenger enters into wagered competition with anotheropponent.

After accepting a stored wager or challenge, competitors may be directlylinked on a directly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network104, or directly operatively associated game server 126, so that theycan engage in wagered competition through the wagering system 102.Following networked competition, the wager outcome can be confirmed atstep 308, using a similar process or processes similar to what has beendescribed previously hereinabove, such as through voluntary confirmationof the players 112, 114, 116, and/or through automatic verification byan outcome confirmation system, for example. For example, thecompetitors may see an “instant confirmation notification” 6004 on theirscreen, through which they can confirm the outcome, in addition tothrough the other aforementioned manners to confirm. An example of an“instant confirmation notification” 6004 is shown in the screen display6002 of FIG. 60. The dispute settlement system 102H may then be utilizedin conjunction with the ratings system 102F. In certain embodiments,prior to or in association with awarding a prize at step 312, thecompetency structure 102G may be altered at step 310 as described aboveto promote fairness in networked game wagering room pages 4802.

In certain embodiments, wager outcomes may be verified automaticallythrough the application of an outcome monitoring system operativelyassociated with the confirmation system 102E, for example. The outcomemonitoring system may be provided as an alternative to competitorsverifying their own wager outcomes and may be configured such thatwagers can be immediately transferred to the winning competitor orcompetitors. The outcome monitoring system may be configured to functionin a variety of ways. For example, certain networked video game softwaremay be coded in a manner that allows network operators to collect andanalyze data regarding competitions (e.g., which competitor won amatch). For such video games, the outcome monitoring system can interactdirectly with the game software, so as to automatically verify wageroutcomes.

Even if the game software is not coded to facilitate the collection andanalysis of data regarding game play, however, wager outcomes still maybe determined automatically by the outcome monitoring system. Forinstance, the wagering system 102 may be configured with a conventionalscreen capture software, such as the software employed by “PokerTracker” (PJI, Inc.), or a functionally equivalent software, which canascertain elements of ongoing game play by analyzing screenshots of thevideo output of video games. The screen capture software can recognizedesignated alphanumeric characters, if the software knows what data tolook for and where to look on the screen to obtain the data. The screencapture software allows for the verification of winners or losers byscreening the video output generated by video game play for a set ofalphanumeric patterns or other information that denotes which player wona video game match. The screen capture software can be configured torecognize a set of alphanumeric characters, for example, or other datathat appear in a designated screen location within the video game ineach match. The screen capture software may also be configured toassociate a player's 112, 114, 116 network identification, for example,with the particular individual or team which played in the video gamematch.

Examples of screen displays that permit the wagering system 102 toassociate a network username with a competitive identity in a game aredepicted in FIGS. 56 and 57. After associating a player 112, 114, 116with a competing identity in the video game, the screen capture softwaremay verify the winner by analyzing standard screens that show finaloutcomes. For example, as shown in FIG. 58, after a “Fight Night: Round2” match concludes, a screen can be presented that states whichcharacter in the game won the competition. In another example, as shownin FIG. 59, in “NCAA Football 2005”, a screen depicting a final scoreboard demonstrates who won the match.

In various embodiments, competitors may be able to engage insimultaneous wagered competitions without having to re-enter thenetworked game wagering room page 4802. For example, if competitorsconfirm the same outcome in an “instant confirmation notification” 6004(as shown in the sample screen display 6002 of FIG. 60), or if anautomated outcome verification system is employed, then a “re-matchnotification” 6104 may be displayed that offers the opportunity toengage in wagered and/or free competition again prior to becomingavailable to other players 112, 114, 116 in the room for competition. Anexample of a “re-match notification” 6104 is shown in screen display6102 of FIG. 61. For instance, if one of the users clicks on the“re-match” challenge button or function 6106, then that user may havethe opportunity to challenge his or her previous opponent to compete foranother wager. If both competitors click on the “exit match” button orfunction 6108, or a competitor declines a re-match challenge, then bothcompetitors may receive another entrance notification 4904 that promptsthem to store another wager, so as to become available for wagering withother users on the networked game wagering room page 4802.

In certain embodiments, a challenger player 112, 114, 116 may alsochallenge an opponent player 112, 114, 116 to a challenge wagerassociated with a video game match to be played on a directlyoperatively associated multiplayer gaming network 104 or a directlyoperatively associated game server 126, through a “challenge form” 3004accessed on the opponent player's profile page 2902 and sent to theInbox of the opponent player's challenge mailbox. In this case, thechallenger may select a video game on the “challenge form” 3004 forwhich game play occurs on a directly operatively associated multiplayergaming network 104 and/or a directly operatively associated game server126, by using the game selection function 3006. The challenger may alsospecify a competition time at which the opponent player should be readyto compete, so that play can automatically begin on a directlyoperatively associated multiplayer gaming network 104 or a directlyoperatively associated game server 126 at that time, if the challengewager is accepted. In various embodiments, the outcome of video gameplay may be confirmed, the competency structure 102G may be altered,and/or the ratings system 102F may be updated in various ways asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments of the invention, video game tournament play maybe conducted for prizes through use of the wagering system 102. Inoperation, the wagering system 102 can schedule a combination of daily,weekly, monthly, quarterly, and/or annual tournaments, for example, eachof which may have successively larger prizes inversely related to thefrequency with which it is held. Each of these tournaments may belimited to a fixed number of players. Prior to a tournament, thewagering system 102 may create separate contests for an establishednumber of players 112, 114, 116, according to the order of theirregistration. For instance, in daily tournaments, the first sixty-fourplayers 112, 114, 116 to indicate their desire to participate might bein the first group, the second sixty-four players 112, 114, 116 inanother group, and so forth, until an entry cut off time before thetournament and when the final tournament grouping was filled. The sizeof tournaments may be crafted to strike the right balance between havingenough participants to generate a large tournament prize with arelatively low buy-in, while not having so many rounds that players 112,114, 116 would lose interest in continued game play as the tournamentprogressed.

The weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tournaments may be held withmore rounds than the daily tournaments to allow for a larger tournamentprize without making the buy-in too excessively high. For example, thewagering system 102 could allow 4,096 players to register for $250, inwhich an approximately $1 million tournament prize could be awarded. Tomotivate players 112, 114, 116 to compete in multiple rounds withouttiring or losing interest, the wagering system 102 may establish setbreaks, after a fixed number of rounds during larger tournaments to giveplayers a chance to recuperate, as is done in poker tournaments, forexample.

For conducting tournament play, the wagering system 102 may employ thesame or similar processes and platforms as those that have beenpreviously described. Such tournaments may involve a player 112, 114,116 paying a fixed buy-in, however, as opposed to selecting a wager andwould have successive rounds in which players 112, 114, 116 areeliminated, as opposed to a single match. These structural differencesbetween match play and tournament play may require certain modificationsknown to those skilled in the art to the processes and systems describedabove. Prior to the designated start time of a tournament, participantsmay be required to register. To register, participants may, for example,click on a “tournament” link on the pull down menu 1004 of sub-linksrelated to a game, which may direct them to a tournament-scheduling page6202, an example of which is shown in the screen display of FIG. 62. Onthe tournament-scheduling page 6202, users can access tournamentregistration pages 6302 for upcoming tournaments for the game, anexample of which is shown in the screen display of FIG. 63. Ontournament registration pages 6302, users may indicate their desire toparticipate in a tournament and confirm their agreement to theassociated terms and conditions. Participants may only be able toregister for a tournament, if they have sufficient available credit inthe wager account 102D to cover the tournament buy-in and/or if theiruser ratings are above a certain threshold level. In variousembodiments, a player 112, 114, 116 and potential tournament participantmay only be allowed to register for tournaments which are compatiblewith the game console 106, 108, 110 of the player 112, 114, 116,respectively.

In operation, prior to the beginning of a tournament, participants maybe required to enter a “tournament room” page 6402, an example of whichis shown in the screen display of FIG. 64, or risk forfeiture of thebuy-in. “Tournament room” pages 6402 may be accessed through a“Tournament Room” link on the pull-down menu 1004 of sub-links relatedto the game. A designated “tournament room” page 6402 may be created foreach tournament, and only the participants may be allowed to enter;otherwise, a single “tournament room” page 6402 may be created for eachgame, so that tournament groups may compete at different times. Afterall of the participants have entered the room and/ or at the scheduledstarting time, tournament game play may either take place on athird-party multiplayer gaming network 104 and/or at least one directlyoperatively associated multiplayer gaming network 104, or a directlyoperatively associated game server 126. Following game play,participants may confirm match outcomes directly on their screen throughan “instant confirmation notification” 6504, an example of which is seenin screen display 6502 of FIG. 65. If competitors confirm the sameoutcome, then the winner may progress in the tournament, while if bothcompetitors do not confirm within a certain time period, or if thecompetitors confirm different outcomes, then neither participant mayprogress in the tournament, and the competitors' user ratings may benegatively impacted as previously above. If a single user confirms hisor her victory in the competitive round, but that player's 112, 114, 116opponent does not confirm, then solely that user may advance.

Based on the outcomes of wagered matches, the wagering system 102 maythen establish the next match between the winner and another victoriousplayer 112, 114, 116. Then the second round of the tournament wouldprogress, and so forth into the remaining rounds until the final matchof the tournament. In this manner, players 112, 114, 116 would probablynot have to wait long between successive rounds, since thoseparticipants who finished earlier than others could play each other. Thetournament could be configured such that no two players 112, 114, 116would be allowed to compete who had played different numbers of matches,in order to assure that they were in the same round of the competition,unless an uneven number of participants remained due to adisqualification as a result of improper confirmation, in which case thelast participant to proceed to a round may be credited automaticallywith a win in that round. This winnowing down of the playing field wouldcontinue until one winner remained, at which point the wagering system102 may recognize that the tournament has concluded and credit thepooled buy-ins to the credit balances of the wager accounts 102D of theparticipants who had made it far enough into the tournament to warrantpart of the prize, according to the payout structure of the tournament.As in the case of match play, the wagering system 102 may subtract atransaction fee from the tournament prize prior to updating user creditbalances. This transaction fee may be established prior to thetournament and may be either a fixed amount or calculated as apercentage of the tournament prize.

Furthermore, certain video games played on third-party multiplayergaming networks 104, due to certain aspects of game play, may requirethat specialized wagering interfaces be built, in order to facilitateexchange-based and/or challenge-based wagering on associatedcompetitions. For instance, when players 112, 114, 116 compete on a“World of WarCraft” multiplayer gaming network 104 (BlizzardEntertainment), in certain cases, players 112, 114, 116 who play withone competitive party may not be permitted to compete with players 112,114, 116 who play with the same competitive party (e.g., players whocompete with “the Horde” may not be able to compete against otherplayers who compete with “the Horde,” depending upon the game server onwhich the network competition takes place). For this reason, to matchusers who wish to wager on game play on the multiplayer gaming network104, for example, the wagering system 102 may be configured to onlyallow users to accept stored wagers or received challenges, if thoseusers compete with a different competitive party than their prospectivecompetitor. Similarly, players may have to specify the third-party gameserver on which they are competing for certain games that can be playedon a large number of distinct game servers. In this case, differentwager pages or challenge rooms, for example, can be provided withrespect to distinct game servers.

Likewise, the wagering system 102 may facilitate wagering on game playthat does not involve head-to-head competition by altering the terms ofthe wager with respect to how it will be awarded. For instance,“Deathmatch” is a networked game-playing mode that is commonlyintegrated into first-person shooter video games. The goal of a“Deathmatch” game is to kill as many other players as possible until acertain condition or limit is reached, such as when the leading playerhas achieved a certain number of kills or a time limit. Once one ofthese conditions is met, the match is over, and the winner is whoeverhas accumulated the most kills. In order to facilitate wagering on a“Deathmatch,” the wagering system 102 may confirm which of thecompetitors who placed wagers has the most kills. In this manner, thewagering system 102 does not have to confirm which participant won thegame played on the network (e.g., involving some players who may havewagered and some who did not), but confirms how those players whowagered on the match performed relative to each other. In certainembodiments, a similar process can facilitate wagering on network carraces, for example, involving large numbers of participants through thedetermination of which of the competitors who had wagered had the fastertime, as well as on many on other types of networked games.

In various embodiments, users of the wagering system 102 may wager otheritems of value other than money. For instance, the wagering system 102could award each new member points and/or tokens upon registering, whichmay then be wagered instead of money. Such points and/or tokens can thenbe exchanged for prizes and/or discounts at an online store, forexample, operatively associated with the wagering system 102, or anonline store operated by a third-party.

The examples presented herein are intended to illustrate potential andspecific implementations of the present invention. It can be appreciatedthat the examples are intended primarily for purposes of illustration ofthe invention for those skilled in the art. No particular aspect oraspects of the examples are necessarily intended to limit the scope ofthe present invention. For instance, screen displays included herein areexamples provided merely for convenience of disclosure for those skilledin the art.

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the presentinvention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevantfor a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating,for purposes of clarity, other elements. For example, certain operatingsystem details and modules of network platforms are not describedherein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, thatthese sorts of focused discussions would not facilitate a betterunderstanding of the present invention, and therefore, a more detaileddescription of such elements is not provided herein.

Any element expressed herein as a means for performing a specifiedfunction is intended to encompass any way of performing that functionincluding, for example, a combination of elements that performs thatfunction. Furthermore the invention, as defined by suchmeans-plus-function claims, resides in the fact that the functionalitiesprovided by the various recited means are combined and brought togetherin a manner as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, any means thatcan provide such functionalities may be considered equivalents to themeans shown herein.

In general, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatsome of the embodiments as described hereinabove may be implemented inmany different embodiments of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Thesoftware code or specialized control hardware used to implement some ofthe present embodiments is not limiting of the present invention. Forexample, the embodiments described hereinabove may be implemented incomputer software using any suitable computer software language typesuch as, for example, C or C++ using, for example, conventional orobject-oriented techniques. Such software may be stored on any type ofsuitable computer-readable medium or media such as, for example, amagnetic or optical storage medium. Thus, the operation and behavior ofthe embodiments are described without specific reference to the actualsoftware code or specialized hardware components. The absence of suchspecific references is feasible because it is clearly understood thatartisans of ordinary skill would be able to design software and controlhardware to implement the embodiments of the present invention based onthe description herein with only a reasonable effort and without undueexperimentation.

Moreover, the processes associated with the present embodiments may beexecuted by programmable equipment, such as computers. Software that maycause programmable equipment to execute the processes may be stored inany storage device, such as, for example, a computer system(non-volatile) memory, an optical disk, magnetic tape, or magnetic disk.Furthermore, some of the processes may be programmed when the computersystem is manufactured or via a computer-readable medium. Such a mediummay include any of the forms listed above with respect to storagedevices and may further include, for example, a carrier wave modulated,or otherwise manipulated, to convey instructions that may be read,demodulated/decoded and executed by a computer.

It can also be appreciated that certain process aspects described hereinmay be performed using instructions stored on a computer-readable mediumor media that direct a computer system to perform process steps. Acomputer-readable medium may include, for example, memory devices suchas diskettes, compact discs of both read-only and read/write varieties,optical disk drives, and hard disk drives. A computer-readable mediummay also include memory storage that may be physical, virtual,permanent, temporary, semi-permanent and/or semi-temporary. Acomputer-readable medium may further involve one or more data signalstransmitted on one or more carrier waves.

A “computer” or “computer system” through which a user may access thewagering system 102 may be, for example, a wireless or wire line varietyof a microcomputer, minicomputer, server, mainframe, laptop, personaldata assistant (PDA), wireless e-mail device (e.g., “BlackBerry”trade-designated devices), cellular phone, cable box, pager, processor,fax machine, scanner, or any other programmable device configured totransmit and receive data over a network. Moreover, it can be seen thatthe game consoles 106, 108, 110 themselves may take on the functionalityof a “computer” or “computer system” with respect to allowing users todirectly access and/ or manipulate online content. Specifically, players112, 114, 116 may be able to utilize the wagering system 102 throughtheir consoles 106, 108, 110, respectively, using their consoles' 106,108, 110 input/ output controls, in a similar manner as if they wereaccessing the wagering system 102 through a personal computer. Likewise,it can also be seen that cable or satellite boxes may take on thefunctionality of a “computer” or “computer system” with respect toallowing users to access and/ or manipulate online content. For example,players 112, 114, 116 may be able to utilize the wagering system 102through their cable or satellite boxes, using buttons and/or otherfunctions on a remote control to manipulate wagering features, in asimilar manner as if they were accessing the wagering system 102 througha personal computer. With respect to accessing the wagering system 102through game consoles 106, 108, 110 and cable or satellite boxes, it canbe seen that the wagering system 102 may be customized for accessibilitysolely by one or both of these types of devices, so that its featurescould be more easily manipulated by, for example, a console controllerand/ or a cable or satellite box remote control.

It can also be seen that a third-party network operator may utilize thiswagering system 102 to offer wagering features built into itsmultiplayer gaming network 104. The wagering system 102 may be adaptedto permit players 112, 114, 116 to wager and confirm outcomes directlythough the game consoles 106, 108, 110, respectively, by accessing wagerfeatures built into the multiplayer gaming network 104 using the input/output controls of their game consoles 106, 108, 110. In this case, theprocess by which wagering may take place may be substantively similar tothe aforementioned description of using the wagering system 102 withrespect to game play on a directly operatively associated multiplayergaming network 104.

Computer devices disclosed herein may include memory for storing certainsoftware applications used in obtaining, processing and communicatingdata. It can be appreciated that such memory may be internal or externalto the disclosed embodiments. The memory may also include any means forstoring software, including a hard disk, an optical disk, floppy disk,ROM (read only memory), RAM (random access memory), PROM (programmableROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), and other computer-readablemedia.

In various embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, asingle component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiplecomponents may be replaced by a single component, to perform a givenfunction or functions. Except where such substitution would not beoperative to practice embodiments of the present invention, suchsubstitution is within the scope of the present invention. Any of theservers described herein, for example, may be replaced by a “serverfarm” or other grouping of networked servers that are located andconfigured for cooperative functions. It can be appreciated that aserver farm may serve to distribute workload between/among individualcomponents of the farm and may expedite computing processes byharnessing the collective and cooperative power of multiple servers.Such server farms may employ load-balancing software that accomplishestasks such as, for example, tracking demand for processing power fromdifferent machines, prioritizing and scheduling tasks based on networkdemand, and/or providing backup contingency in the event of componentfailure or reduction in operability.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described herein,it should be apparent, however, that various modifications, alterationsand adaptations to those embodiments may occur to persons skilled in theart with the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the presentinvention. The disclosed embodiments are therefore intended to includeall such modifications, alterations and adaptations without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the present invention as set forth in theappended claims.

1. A wagering system comprising: a server configured for processing atleast one wager on a video game match to be played by players on amultiplayer gaming network; at least one database operatively associatedwith the server, the database being configured for storing informationrelated to the video game wager; and, a challenge system operativelyassociated with the server, the challenge system being configured topermit a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to achallenge wager associated with the video game match.
 2. The wageringsystem of claim 1, further comprising a confirmation system configuredto receive confirmation of the outcome of the video game match.
 3. Thewagering system of claim 1, further comprising at least one web sitepage operatively associated with the server to allow selection fromamong a set of video games that can be played for wagers.
 4. Thewagering system of claim 3, further comprising the set of video gamesbeing separated into multiple sections according to a factor selectedfrom the group consisting of a multiplayer gaming network associatedwith the video game, a type of video game, and a gaming mode.
 5. Thewagering system of claim 1, further comprising at least one web sitepage operatively associated with the server to allow storage of a wagerin association with at least one video game.
 6. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site page operativelyassociated with the server to allow acceptance of a wager in associationwith at least one video game.
 7. The wagering system of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one player profile stored on the database.
 8. Thewagering system of claim 1, further comprising the server beingconfigured to transfer a wager amount based on the outcome of the videogame match.
 9. The wagering system of claim 1, further comprising acompetency structure operatively associated with the server, thecompetency structure being configured for maintaining at least one skilllevel of at least one of the players.
 10. The wagering system of claim1, further comprising the database being configured to store multiplewagers for a particular video game or for multiple video games.
 11. Thewagering system of claim 1, further comprising the database beingconfigured to permit removal of an unaccepted, stored wager.
 12. Thewagering system of claim 1, further comprising the server beingconfigured to automatically communicate to the players that they shouldcompete upon determining compatibility of stored wagers.
 13. Thewagering system of claim 12, wherein determining compatibility includescomparing skill levels associated with the players.
 14. The wageringsystem of claim 1, further comprising a ratings system operativelyassociated with the server, the ratings system being configured toadjust a rating of at least one player.
 15. The wagering system of claim1, wherein the video game includes a video game that can be played bymultiple players as a team.
 16. The wagering system of claim 2, furthercomprising the confirmation system being configured to award a prize tothe winning player upon receiving the same confirmation of the wageroutcome from both players.
 17. The wagering system of claim 1, furthercomprising a ratings system operatively associated with the server, theratings system being configured for adjusting a rating of at least oneof the players.
 18. The wagering system of claim 17, further comprisingthe ratings system being configured to not allow a player to accept awager if a rating of the player falls below a threshold level.
 19. Thewagering system of claim 2, further comprising a dispute settlementsystem operatively associated with the server, the dispute settlementsystem being configured for determining a wager outcome if theconfirmation system receives a different confirmation of the wageroutcome from each player.
 20. The wagering system of claim 1, furthercomprising the challenge system being configured for permitting thechallenger player to configure the challenge wager to be sent to theopponent player.
 21. The wagering system of claim 1, further comprisingthe challenge system being configured for permitting the opponent playerto select an action from the group consisting of accept, decline, andcounter with respect to the challenge wager.
 22. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising a challenge room system for permittingchallenger players to challenge opponent players in networked video gameplay.
 23. The wagering system of claim 1, further comprising the serverbeing configured to facilitate a video game tournament.
 24. The wageringsystem of claim 1, further comprising the server being accessiblethrough a game console.
 25. The wagering system of claim 1, furthercomprising the server being accessible through a cable networkconnection.
 26. The wagering system of claim 1, further comprising atleast one web site operatively associated with the server, the web sitebeing accessible through a game console.
 27. The wagering system ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one web site operatively associatedwith the server, the web site being accessible through a cable networkconnection.
 28. A method for facilitating wagering on a video game, themethod comprising: processing at least one wager on a video game matchto be played by players on a multiplayer gaming network; storinginformation related to the video game wager; and, permitting achallenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wagerassociated with the video game match.
 29. A computer-readable mediumincluding instructions for causing a computer system to execute a methodfor facilitating wagering on a video game, the medium comprising:instructions for processing at least one wager on a video game match tobe played by players on a multiplayer gaming network; instructions forstoring information related to the video game wager; and, instructionsfor permitting a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to achallenge wager associated with the video game match.
 30. A wageringsystem comprising: a server configured for processing at least one wageron a video game match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network,wherein the server is configured to enable wagered video game playthrough at least one electronic environment selected from the groupconsisting of a directly operatively associated game server and adirectly operatively associated multiplayer gaming network; at least onedatabase operatively associated with the server, the database beingconfigured for storing information related to the video game wager; and,at least one of the following: (i) a challenge system operativelyassociated with the server, the challenge system being configured topermit a challenger player to challenge an opponent player to achallenge wager associated with the video game match; or, (ii) anexchange-based wagering system operatively associated with the server,the exchange-based wagering system being configured to match opponentsto wager on a video game.
 31. The wagering system of claim 30, furthercomprising a confirmation system configured to facilitate confirmationof the outcome of the video game match.
 32. The wagering system of claim30, further comprising an outcome monitoring system configured toautomatically verify the outcome of the video game match.
 33. Thewagering system of claim 30, further comprising the server beingconfigured to facilitate a video game tournament.
 34. A method forfacilitating wagering on a video game, the method comprising: processingat least one wager on a video game match to be played on a multiplayergaming network, including enabling wagered video game play through atleast one electronic environment selected from the group consisting of adirectly operatively associated game server and a directly operativelyassociated multiplayer gaming network; storing information related tothe video game wager; and, at least one of the following: (i) permittinga challenger player to challenge an opponent player to a challenge wagerassociated with the video game match; or, (ii) matching opponents to awager on the video game match through an exchange-based wagering system.35. A computer-readable medium including instructions for causing acomputer system to facilitate wagering on a video game, the mediumcomprising: instructions for processing at least one wager on a videogame match to be played on a multiplayer gaming network, includinginstructions for enabling wagered video game play through at least oneelectronic environment selected from the group consisting of a directlyoperatively associated game server and a directly operatively associatedmultiplayer gaming network; instructions for storing information relatedto the video game wager; and, at least one of the following: (i)instructions for permitting a challenger player to challenge an opponentplayer to a challenge wager associated with the video game match; or,(ii) instructions for matching opponents to a wager on the video gamematch through an exchange-based wagering system.